Hair dryer

ABSTRACT

An improved hair dryer is the subject matter of this invention. The hair dryer includes a hollow housing having a central axis, which housing is pivotedly connected to a support. The housing includes a support collar portion, having a plurality of air ports through the collar. An inlet housing is mounted on the housing adjacent to the collar. The inlet housing has an inlet aperture aligned with the center axis of the housing. A readily removable filter is positioned in the inlet aperture. An impeller is aligned with the inlet aperture. The impeller is driven by an electric motor, which is mounted in the housing and has its drive shaft aligned with the central axis of the housing. A diffuser adapted for receipt of a human head is removably connected to the housing and is removably connected to the housing. A heating element is mounted in the housing, surrounding the electric motor. Air drawn in through the inlet aperture is driven past the heating element and out through the diffuser to dry hair on a head positioned in the diffuser.

[ HAIR DRYER John Wayne Gaski, Jr., River Grove, 111.

[73] Assignee: DeGraff Products Company,

Chicago, Ill.

22 Filed: May 10,1974

[2i] Appl.No.:468,822

[75] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 34/99 [51] Int. Cl A4511 20/25 [58] Field of Search 34/4853, 82, 96-101, 34/103, 239; 219/370, 371

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,026,942 1/1936 Kelley 34/99 3,046,673 7/1962 Nawroth 34/100 3,501,846 3/1970 Melega et al. 34/103 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 748,606 5/1956 United Kingdom 34/96 940,780 12/1948 France 34/99 876,754 4/1953 Germany 34/100 838,668 3/1939 France 34/99 June 10, 1975 Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague Assistant Examiner-James C. Yeung Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Anthony S. Zummer 5 7 ABSTRACT An improved hair dryer is the subject matter of this invention. The hair dryer includes a hollow housing having a central axis, which housing is pivotedly connected to a support. The housing includes a support collar portion, having a plurality of air ports through the collar. An inlet housing is mounted on the housing adjacent to the collar. The inlet housing has an inlet aperture aligned with the center axis of the housing. A readily removable filter is positioned in the inlet aperture. An impeller is aligned with the inlet aperture. The impeller is driven by an electric motor, which is mounted in the housing and has its drive shaft aligned with the central axis of the housing. A diffuser adapted for receipt of a human head is removably connected to the housing and is removably connected to the housing. A heating element is mounted in the housing, surrounding the electric motor. Air drawn in through the inlet aperture is driven past the heating element and out through the diffuser to dry hair on a head positioned in the diffuser.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures HAIR DRYER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of hair dryers in beauty salons is quite common. There are numerous styles and types of these hair dryers. One of the problems with present hair dryers is that air delivered to a hood surrounding a patron head is not uniformly delivered, so that parts of the hair are dried before others. This renders a number of inefficiencies in the operation of a hair dryer. It is recognized that the most efficient delivery of heated air to a patron is one in which the air travels the shortest distance, so that there is a maximum of air pressure to get a maximum of flow of air, rather than using up the energy of the air in friction losses and the like.

Some hair dryers provide a short air path from the entry of the air to the dryer. However, those dryers have a problem in that the air which circulates through a beauty salon often carries hair spray and fine hair particles. The use of lacquers and the like is quite common in beauty salons; and the particulate matter becomes suspended in the air. The air flowing into the hair dryer carries with it the particles; and, as the quantity of air flows through the hair dryers, the lacquer and other materials suspended in the air are often trapped in the hair dryer to impede the operation of the hair dryer.

There is a definite problem in maintaining the cleanliness of a hair dryer in that the patrons who are in the hair dryer usually have a setting lotion on their hair. The patrons often touch the interior of the hair dryer; and the setting lotion sticks and collects pieces of hair and the like in the hood. The sanitation and maintenance of a hair dryer is important in the ordinary operation of a beauty salon. The hair dryers must be cleaned out regularly. Otherwise, the dryers will become completely unacceptable to the patrons. In addition, the hair dryers must be serviced by replacing heating elements or other parts; and, of course, cleaning in teriorly of the dryer.

A common problem to a beauty salon is that the hair dryers are often left on when not in use. This results in inefficiencies of the operation of the hair dryer in that there is a needless use of electricity in the operation of the hair dryer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved construction for a hair dryer which provides a high quantity of heated air to the dryer, distributed evenly around a patrons head. The hair dryer is one which is easily maintained and easily kept clean.

The subject hair dryer generally consists of a housing, which is pivotedly connected to a conventional support. The housing has a cylindrical hollow body, with a plurality of openings adjacent to the upper portion of the hollow body. An inlet housing is mounted on the upper portion of the housing, with an inlet aperture contained therein. A filter element is positioned in the inlet, which filter element may be readily removed. An electric motor is mounted in the center of the housing, with its shaft of rotation coaxial with the center axis of the housing. An impeller is mounted on the shaft and is aligned with the inlet aperture. A heating element is mounted within the housing adjacent to the inletports and surrounds the electric motor. Supported by the motor is a dome-shaped diffuser, having a plurality of exit ports. The diffuser is releasably connected to the housing so that the diffuser may be removed from the housing by releasing the diffuser from the electric motor. Thus, the electric motor and heating element, and other parts interiorly of the housing, are exposed for easy servicing. Controls are connected to the electric motor and the heating element to shut off automatically the electric motor and the heating element. It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a hair dryer which is efficient to operate and easy to maintain.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved construction for a hair dryer which automatically turns off.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved construction for a hair dryer in which air entering the hair dryer is filtered prior to entry and travels only a short distance from entry into the hair dryer to delivery to hair to be dried.

It is still another object of the herein-disclosed invention to provide a simple and economical construction for a hair dryer.

Other objects and uses of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following specification in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side elevational view of a hair dryer embodying the present invention, shown in solid form in an operative attitude, and shown in dotted form in a raised attitude to allow a person to leave the dryer conveniently;

FIG. 2 is an interior view of the hair dryer of FIG. 1, taken on Line 22, with a portion ofa diffuser broken away in order to show the interrelationship of certain parts, including the positioning of a heating element;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a control knob mounted on the front of the hair dryer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a hair dryer similar to the hair dryer shown in FIG. I, but having a timer therein;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view, taken on Line 5-5 of FIG. 4, showing the positioning of a heating control knob and a timer knob;

FIG. 6 is an electrical schematic diagram of the hair dryer shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is an electrical schematic diagram of the dryer, utilizing a timer, which mechanical construction is similar to that shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and especially to FIG. I, a hair dryer embodying the present invention is shown therein and generally indicated by numeral 10. The hair dryer 10 generally consists of a housing 12, having a stand assembly 14 connected to one side, an inlet assembly 16 mounted on one end of the housing, an air drive assembly 18 mounted within the housing and the inlet assembly, a heating assembly 20 mounted in the housing for heating air passing through the housing, and a hood diffuser 22 mounted in the housing 12.

The housing 12 generally includes a main body 24, which has its interior generally symmetrical about a center axis. The main body is, in this instance, made of sheet metal and has its exterior appropriately decoratively coated, such as by painting or plating. The main body generally tapers toward one end and has a collar 26 formed integral with that end. The collar has a central motor aperture 28 formed therein, which aperture 28 is circular and has its center on the central axis of main body 24. Eight identical air ports 30 are equidistantly spaced around the central motor aperture 28 in a circle having its center on the center axis.

An extension sleeve 32 is connected to the other end of the main body and has its end adapted for sealing engagement with hood diffuser 22.

The inlet assembly 16 includes an inlet housing 34, which is symmetrical about the center axis of main body 24. The inlet housing includes an outer wall 36, which is sealingly secured to housing 12 adjacent to collar 26. The inlet housing 36 includes a top 38. Top 38 has a central opening 40 formed therein, which central opening 40 is circular and has its center aligned with the main bodys center axis. An exterior annular shroud 42, having a circular aperture 44, has a curved shroud flange 46 sealingly secured to top 28. Aperture 44 has its center on the main bodys center axis. An interior annular shroud 48, having a circular aperture 50, has a curved flange 52 sealingly secured to exterior shroud 42. Aperture 50 also has its center on the center axis of the main body. The shrouds 42 and 48 define an inlet aperture 54 to allow passage of air into the interior of housing 34. The inlet aperture 54 is circular and has its center aligned with the center axis of housing 12.

An open-mesh grill 56 is mounted between the shrouds 42 and 48 to provide a filter support for supporting an open-cell polyurethane filter 58 in the inlet aperture. The filter 58 has a circular outer periphery and has a diameter slightly greater than aperture 44 of shroud 42, so that the filter element is compressed slightly for insertion into the shroud. The filter is then released to have the filter element expand into the shroud and be held securely therein. The filter element rests on grill 56 and prevents the filter element from passing through the inlet aperture 54.

The air drive assembly 18 includes an apertured support plate 60, which is secured to collar 26. The support plate contains a motor aperture 62 in its center, aligned with the center axis of main body 24. A conventional electric motor 64 is mounted on the support plate 60 and has a drive shaft 66 extending through aperture 62. The drive shaft 66 of the electric motor has its axis of rotation aligned with the center axis of the main body. A conventional rotary impeller 68 is fixed to drive shaft 66 and is aligned with the inlet aperture. The impeller is positioned adjacent to the innermost edge of the interior shroud 48, as may be best seen in FIG. 1.

The heating assembly has a heating element, which consists ofa pair of conventional electrical heating coils 70 mounted on a plurality of insulator blocks 72. The blocks are secured to the interior of collar 26 to position the heating coils 70 adjacent to the air ports 30 of collar 26, so that air flowing through the air ports passes over the heating coils. The heating coils are electrically connected to a conventional thermostat 74, which is a temperature-responsive control means for the heating coils.

The thermostat 74 is mounted on the interior of main body 24 and has a thermostat shaft 76 extending through a wall of the main body. A conventional knob 78 is connected to the thermostat shaft exteriorly of the main body. The thermostat 74 has a conventional control element 80 connected to the shaft 76, which element 80 is protected in an open-ended housing 82. Housing 82 allows air to flow through it and affect the control element 80. A conventional mercury switch 84, which is a control for the electric motor and the heating coils, is mounted on the support plate and is electrically connected to electric motor 64 and heating coils 70. As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional cord 86 connects the various electrical elements to a suitable source of electrical power.

As may be seen in FIG. 6, the hair dryer has a conventional three-prong plug 88, of which one prong is connected to a lead 90; a second prong is connected to a lead 92, which grounds the hair dryer, as is wellknown; and a third prong is connected to a lead 94. The lead 90 is connected to mercury switch 84. Mercury switch 84 is connected to a lead 96, which lead 96 is connected to leads 98 and 100. Lead 98 is connected to heating coils 70, which in turn are connected to a lead 102. Lead 102 is connected to one side of thermostat 74. The thermostat 74 has its other side connected to a lead 104, which is connected to lead 94. The lead is connected to one side of the electric motor 64. The other side of the motor is connected to a lead 106, which lead 106 is also connected to lead 94.

The hood diffuser 22 is supported by the electric motor 64 through a diffuser mount 108. The diffuser mount includes a mounting bracket 110, which has a pair of arms 112 and 114 fixed to the electric motor 64. The arms 112 and 114 are formed integral with a beam 116, which beam threadedly receives a threaded mounting fastener 118.

The diffuser 22 is generally dome-shaped and includes a mounting ring 120, which sealingly and releasably engages one end of extension sleeve 32. The diffuser includes a first diffuser ring 122, having one edge formed integral with the mounting ring. A second diffuser ring 124, being slightly smaller that the first diffuser ring 122, has one edge formed integral with one edge of the first diffuser ring 122. A third diffuser ring 126, having a diameter slightly smaller than the second diffuser ring 124, has one edge formed integral with the second diffuser ring 124. A diffuser dome 128 has its edge formed integral with the interior of third diffuser ring 126. The three rings 122, 124 and 126 have their centers coaxially aligned with the center axis of the main body. A plurality of semi-circular exit ports is formed in the diffuser at the junction of the diffuser ring 122 with the mounting ring 120, at the junction of the diffuser ring 124 with ring 122, at the junction of diffuser ring 126 with second diffuser ring 124, and at the junction of the dome 128 with the diffuser ring 126. A plurality of smaller circular exit ports 132 is formed in the dome 126 adjacent to the upper portion thereof. A mounting recess 134 is formed integral with the dome, which mounting recess receives the fastener 118.

The stand assembly 14 is conventional in that it includes a mounting bracket 136 fixed to the exterior of the main body. A mounting head 138 is pivotedly mounted in mounting bracket 136 on a conventional pivot shaft 140. The mounting head 138 is adapted for positioning in an upright 142 of a conventional stand.

The dryer 10 operates in the following manner. When the dryer is pulled down into the attitude shown in solid form in FIG. 1, mercury switch 84, which is a position-responsive switch, is closed, thereby providing power to the electric motor 64 and to the heating coils 70 when the thermostat switch 74 is closed. Electric power is provided to motor 64 to drive the impeller 68, which draws air into the housing 34 through inlet aperture 56. The air flowing into the inlet aperture is filtered by the filter 58. The air pressure builds up in the interior of inlet housing 34. The air is forced out of housing 34 through the ports 30, over the heating coils 70, to be heated thereby. A portion of the air flows through the thermostat housing 82 to affect the thermostat. The air continues to flow through the main body 24 and engages the diffuser 22. Smaller exit ports 132 are on the upper portion of the dome 28, and larger exit ports 130 are along the sides, so that there is a balance of air flowing into the diffuser. The air exits from the diffuser through ports 130 and 132, to be directed uniformly onto the head of a person in the hood diffuser.

The thermostat 74 operates in a conventional fashion. When the air is sufficiently heated, the thermostat senses proper air temperature and opens the electrical circuit to the heating coils 70. It may be appreciated that this does not affect the flow of air. Since no energy is provided to the coils 70, the air passing over the coils 70 cools down the coils; and, as the coils cool down and the air is cooled down, the air passing through the housing 82 then affects the thermostat, which closes the electrical circuit to heat the heating coils 70. There is a very short distance from the point of entry of the air into the dryer to the point where the air is directed to the person under the dryer. Furthermore, the heating coils are near the diffuser, so that the air has little opportunity to cool until it is expelled onto the person under the hood diffuser. Since the air is heated on the high-pressure side of the air flow path, heating of the air causes the air to expand, which increases the flow rate of air.

When it is determined that the hair is sufficiently dry, the dryer is pivoted about the shaft 140 to facilitate removal of the persons head from the dryer. This same pivoting of the dryer affects the mercury switch to open it and thereby interrupt the flow of current to the electric motor 64 and to the heating coils 70.

The diffuser 22, which in this instance is made of an injection-molded plastic material, may be readily and easily cleaned. If need be, the diffuser 22 may be removed for cleaning simply by removing the fastener 118. Removal of the diffuser allows easy access to the motor 64 and the heating coils 70 in order to make repairs.

The open-cell foam filter 58 filters all of the spray materials and particles of hair from the air before the air is pulled into the dryer. As materials collect on the filter, an operator may readily see the condition of the filter. When the operator sees that the surface is sufficiently coated with foreign materials, it is a simple matter to remove the filter 58 and either clean the filter or dispose of the filter and replace it with a new one.

The instant hair dryer may be modified to have a timer on the dryer so that the patrons of a beauty salon will not be left under a dryer for a protracted period of time. Rather than utilizing the mercury switch 68, the mercury switch is replaced with an adjustable timer 200. The timer is physically located on the main body 24, as shown in FIG. 4. The operation of a hair dryer utilizing the timer is slightly different than that utilizing a mercury switch in that the timer must be set, rather than tilting the hair dryer downward to start the hair dryer.

Referring specifically to FIG. 7, the electrical connections of the timer 200 with the other portions of the hair dryer are shown therein. The same numbers are used for the like parts. Lead 90 is connected to one terminal of plug 88; and a lead 202 is connected to the timer 200. A lead 204 comes out of the tirrier and is connected to a lead 206 from the timer. Both the leads 206 and 204 are connected to lead 208, which is connected to the motor 64. A lead 210 from the motor 64 is connected to the lead 98, which lead 98 is connected to one side of the heating coils 70.

The lead 92 is connected to a ground of the hair dryer. The lead 94 is connected to a lead 212, which is also connected to the timer 200. The timer 200 has a lead 214 connected thereto, which is connected to one side of the thermostat 74. The other side of the thermostat 74 is connected to the heating coils by lead 216.

The operation of the hair dryer with the timer 200 is as follows. When timer 200 is set for a period of anywhere from ten minutes to one hour, energy is supplied to the motor 64 to drive the impeller as described above. When the air is sufficiently cool, the thermostat 74 is closed so that the heating coils 70 are heated; and when the air is sufficiently warm, the thermostat is opened, as is conventional and described in detail above. The timer is conventionally constructed so that, two minutes before the timer is to cut off power to the electric motor, the power in lead 214 is cut off so that there is no power to the heating coils 70, which allows the heating coils to cool down. The electric motor continues to operate irrespective of whether the thermostat 74 is open or closed; but no power is provided to the heating coils. The electric motor runs for an addi tional two minutes; and then the motor is stopped by the operation of the timer.

The mechanical operation of the hair dryer is the same irrespective of whether the timer switch is used or a mercury switch is used. It is readily apparent that, as soon as the dryer is turned on, there is quick heat to the patron. The quick heat results because the distances from the heating elements to the diffuser are small; and there is very little cold air to be pumped out of the dryer onto the patron. The dryer operates with a high degree of quietness in view of the fact that there are two sound baffles between the impeller and the patron in the head diffuser. The first baffle is the collar, with the ports; and the second sound baffle is the diffuser. The diffuser construction, being a dome shape, allows for a large head opening so that large rollers may be used on a patrons head to give the bouffant look.

As was mentioned above, the dryer may be cleaned easily; and the filter may be changed with a minimum of effort. lt is important to note that there are no special tools required to change the filter. Further, as was mentioned above, there is an even heating within the diffuser.

Although a specific embodiment of the instant invention has been shown and described in detail above, it is readily apparent that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. It is to be expressly understood that the instant invention is limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. in a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer comprising: a housing connected to said support, said housing having a hollow main body, a support collar formed integral with one end of the main body, said collar having a plurality of air ports extending therethrough, a dome-shaped hood diffuser releasably and sealingly connected to said main body, said diffuser being adapted to receive a persons head, said diffuser having a plurality of exit ports to allow air to flow from the main body into the diffuser, an inlet housing mounted on the end of the main body adjacent to the collar, said inlet housing having an inlet aperture, a filter mounted in the inlet aperture to filter air entering the inlet housing, an air impeller rotatable about an axis positioned in the inlet housing to draw air into the inlet housing through the inlet aperture, an electric motor driving the air impeller, a heating element mounted in said main body for heating air passing through the air ports in the collar, and means for controlling the heating element connected to the heating element.

2. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 1 wherein the inlet housing includes an exterior annular shroud extending outward from the housing, and an interior annular shroud adjacent to the exterior shroud, said interior shroud extending inward of the inlet housing, each of the shrouds defining an aperture, said apertures of the shrouds defining said inlet aperture, said air impeller being positioned adjacent to the interior shroud to pull air through the inlet aperture into the inlet housing, and a filter support positioned in the air inlet, said filter is resilient and has a diameter slightly greater than the aperture in the exterior shroud, whereby the filter is compressed slightly positioned in the aperture of the exterior shroud in engagement with the filter support and released to be held therein by the resilience of the filter pushing the filter against the exterior shroud and the filter support.

3. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the im provement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 1 wherein the hood diffuser includes a mounting ring for releasable and sealable connection to said main body, a plurality of concentric rings having adjacent edges formed integral with each other, one of said rings integrally formed with the mounting ring, a dome formed integral with the edge of another of the concentric rings, and a mounting recess formed integral with the dome for connection to the electric motor to be supported thereby, a portion of said exit ports in the hood difi'user being semi-circular apertures formed in the concentric rings, and the remainder of the exit ports being smaller circular apertures in the dome to allow even egress of air through the diffuser.

4. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 1, including a support plate mounted on the support collar, said electric motor being supported by the support plate, said electric motor having its drive shaft aligned with the center of the housing and with the axis of rotation of the air impeller, and said diffuser is releasably connected to the main body and is releasably supported by the motor, whereby removal of the diffuser allows for easy access to the motor and heating element for servicing said motor and heating element.

5. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer pivotedly mounted on the support, said hair dryer comprising: a main body being symmetrical about a center axis, a collar formed integral with one end of the main body, said collar being symmetrical about the center axis, said collar having a motor aperture in its center aligned with the center axis, said collar having a plurality of air ports extending therethrough being arranged equidistantly and symmetrically about the center axis, an inlet housing mounted on the main body adjacent to the collar, said inlet housing having a central opening being symmetrical about the center axis, an exterior annular shroud fixed to the inlet housing symmetrical about the center axis, said exterior shroud having an exterior aperture symmetrical about the center axis, an interior annular shroud connected to the inlet housing and symmetrical about the center axis, said interior shroud having an interior aperture symmetrical about the center axis, an inlet aperture defined by the interior and exterior apertures, a filter support positioned between the interior and exterior shrouds, a resilient porous filter having a diameter slightly greater than the exterior aperture positioned in the exterior shroud in contact with the filter support, a support plate mounted on the collar and being symmetrical about the center axis, an electric motor mounted on the support plate, said electric motor having its axis of rotation aligned with the center axis, an air impeller drivingly connected to the electric motor positioned in the inlet housing adjacent to the interior shroud for drawing air through the inlet aperture, a heating element mounted on the collar adjacent to the air ports for heating air passing through the air ports, a temperature-responsive control means connected to the heating element for controlling the temperature of the air heated by the heating element, a hood diffuser releasably supported by the electric motor and releasably sealingly connected to the main body, said diffuser having a plurality of exit ports for delivering air in a diffused manner to the interior thereof, and a control electrically connected to the electric motor and to the heating element for controlling the operation of the electric motor and the heating element.

6. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer pivotedly mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 5 wherein said control is a timer for turning off the heating element at a given time interval prior to turning off the electric motor after a selected elapsed time span.

7. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer pivotedly mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 5 wherein the control is a position-responsive switch which turns off the electric motor and the heating element when the main body is positioned to an attitude approaching the horizontal. 

1. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer comprising: a housing connected to said support, said housing having a hollow main body, a support collar formed integral with one end of the main body, said collar having a plurality of air ports extending therethrough, a dome-shaped hood diffuser releasably and sealingly connected to said main body, said diffuser being adapted to receive a person''s head, said diffuser having a plurality of exit ports to allow air to flow from the main body into the diffuser, an inlet housing mounted on the end of the main body adjacent to the collar, said inlet housing having an inlet aperture, a filter mounted in the inlet aperture to filter air entering the inlet housing, an air impeller rotatable about an axis positioned in the inlet housing to draw air into the inlet housing through the inlet aperture, an electric motor driving the air impeller, a heating element mounted in said main body for heating air passing through the air ports in the collar, and means for controlling the heating element connected to the heating element.
 2. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 1 wherein the inlet housing includes an exterior annular shroud extending outward from the housing, and an interior annular shroud adjacent to the exterior shroud, said interior shroud extending inward of the inlet housing, each of the shrouds defining an aperture, said apertures of the shrouds defining said inlet aperture, said air impeller being positioned adjacent to the interior shroud to pull air through the inlet aperture into the inlet housing, and a filter support positioned in the air inlet, said filter is resilient and has a diameter slightly greater than the aperture in the exterior shroud, whereby the filter is compressed slightly positioned in the aperture of the exterior shroud in engagement with the filter support and released to be held therein by the resilience of the filter pushing the filter against the exterior shroud and the filter support.
 3. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 1 wherein the hood diffuser includes a mounting ring for releasable and sealable connection to said main body, a plurality of concentric rings having adjacent edges formed integral with each other, one of said rings integrally formed with the mounting ring, a dome formed integral with the edge of another of the concentric rings, and a mounting recess formed integral with the dome for connection to the electric motor to be supported thereby, a portion of said exit ports in the hood diffuser being semi-circular apertures formed in the concentric rings, and the remainder of the exit ports being smaller circular apertures in the dome to allow even egress of air through the diffuser.
 4. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 1, including a support plate mounted on the support collar, said electric motor being supported by the support plate, said electric motor having its drive shaft aligned with the center of the housing and with the axis of rotation of the air impeller, and said diffuser is releasably connected to the main body and is releasably supported by the motor, whereby removal of the diffuser allows for easy access to the motor and heating element for servicing said motor and heating element.
 5. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer pivotedly mounted on the support, said hair dryer comprising: a main body being symmetrical about a center axis, a collar formed integral with one end of the main body, said collar being symmetrical about the center axis, said collar having a motor aperture in its center aligned with the center axis, said collar having a plurality of air ports extending therethrough being arranged equidistantly and symmetrically about the center axis, an inlet housing mounted on the main body adjacent to the collar, said inlet housing having a central opening being symmetrical about the center axis, an exterior annular shroud fixed to the inlet housing symmetrical about the center axis, said exterior shroud having an exterior aperture symmetrical about the center axis, an interior annular shroud connected to the inlet housing and symmetrical about the center axis, said interior shroud having an interior aperture symmetrical about the center axis, an inlet aperture defined by the interior and exterior apertures, a filter support positioned between the interior and exterior shrouds, a resilient porous filter having a diameter slightly greater than the exterior aperture positioned in the exterior shroud in contact with the filter support, a support plate mounted on the collar and being symmetrical about the center axis, an electric motor mounted on the support plate, said electric motor having its axis of rotation aligned with the center axis, an air impeller drivingly connected to the electric motor positioned in the inlet housing adjacent to the interior shroud for drawing air through the inlet aperture, a heating element mounted on the collar adjacent to the air ports for heating air passing through the air ports, a temperature-responsive control means connected to the heating element for controlling the temperature of the air heated by the heating element, a hood diffuser releasably supported by the electric motor and releasably sEalingly connected to the main body, said diffuser having a plurality of exit ports for delivering air in a diffused manner to the interior thereof, and a control electrically connected to the electric motor and to the heating element for controlling the operation of the electric motor and the heating element.
 6. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer pivotedly mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 5 wherein said control is a timer for turning off the heating element at a given time interval prior to turning off the electric motor after a selected elapsed time span.
 7. In a hair dryer assembly having a support, the improvement being a hair dryer pivotedly mounted on the support, said hair dryer as defined in claim 5 wherein the control is a position-responsive switch which turns off the electric motor and the heating element when the main body is positioned to an attitude approaching the horizontal. 